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Healer strategies
The Healer is arguably the most team-oriented class on Gang Garrison 2. His main function is to keep his allies alive. Given that he's the weakest combat class in the game, he depends on his allies to keep him alive. Essentially, the relationship between Healer and Teammate is a mutualistic one. Statistically, the Healer is a very good character. Second fastest running speed (Only a Runner can outrun a Healer, while a Firebug can keep pace) and an average Health pool (120). Your Weapons A Healer has two weapons at his disposal: The Medigun, and the Syringe Gun. The Medigun Despite my previous claim, The Medigun isn't really a weapon; it's a tool, and a powerful one at that. This tool is what gives the Healer his identity. Besides the Healing Cabinet, the Healer is the other source of healing for non-Healer classes. Healers are invaluable in that they sustain offensive pushes or defensive holds. To use the Medigun, point it at the desired team mate, then click and hold the left mouse button. The beam will stay on the target and continue to heal him until he - wanders out of the maximum range of your beam (which is about half a screen), he moves/is moved out of your direct field of vision, you stop holding the mouse button, or if either of you die. The Beam is emitted from the tip of the Medigun. Although limited, once the beam is focused on a teammate, the gun can be adjusted, which can allow the Healer to heal someone from atop a staircase, or behind a small obstacle. This can also make healing someone from an inconvenient location slightly more possible, but again, it's a limited ability. This beam has no effect on enemies, and they cannot obstruct the Healer's ability to target a teammate. However, the Medibeam locks onto the nearest Teammate, which can make it difficult to target the desired person amidst a group of teammates. The Medigun can only heal at a rate of 30 Hp per second, so healing takes a few seconds. Plan accordingly. You should also learn to juggle, as it makes you much more effective. The Syringe Gun This is the Healer's actual weapon. Firstly and most important thing to note about the Syringe Gun is, it's weak. It's the Dan Hibiki of Gang Garrison 2. Each needle does 3 Damage, meaning it takes about 40 syringes to drop most classes. It also seriously lacks range, which is another big weakness of the Syringe Gun. But, all things considered, it is a reliable weapon: It's got a good firing rate (10 per second) and is fairly accurate. And while it's short range is a downfall, it provides a big tactical advantage. As demonstrated in Figure 1a (Below), the Syringes can be fired from behind a short obstacle (in this case, a box) to attack something on the other side, or, in the instance of Figure 1b, to attack someone/thing from over a ledge. In both instances you can remain safe from direct fire while still attacking, or take out Sentries placed in such places. A big factor in aiming the Syringe Gun is momentum. Figure 2 demonstrates how the Syringes' distance is hugely affected by your own movement. Thus, running away while firing syringes gets close to no distance, but you can run forward to give the Syringes extra range! Your Enemies As explained previously, Healer is the weakest class as far as combat goes, and as thus, it's generally a bad idea to try to fight with him, but, for those of you willing, confident or thoughtless enough to attempt to engage in combat, (Or if you're forced to defend yourself!) these are specific tactics to use against the various classes. Please, keep in mind, your survival is more important than a dead enemy, unless it's an Intel runner. Runner In general, Healers have a hard time dealing with Runners, mainly because some of them choose to run past danger and go straight for the intel, meaning they spend only a few moments in range of your low-damage needles. Should a Runner engage in combat with you, try not to allow him to maintain a point-blank distance; A full blast from the Scattergun does a surprising amount of damage, and it doesn't help that he's faster than you. It takes little to defeat a Runner, however, so dance around sporadically and keep your Syringe Gun on him. Firebug A Healer's worst nightmare. Not only do they wreak havoc on a Healer's ability to keep team mates healed, but he moves as fast as you do, and vastly outguns you, making most means of combat with him impossible. If you run into a Firebug by yourself, keep out of range of his flames or else you die. Afterburn is deadly, so run away and take cover while firing the Needlegun and hope a teammate comes by to help you. If you do come across a team mate, or a Firebug enters your screen, use your Medigun on the closest ally immediately. You don't want to be responsible for his death too. Rocketman Rocketmans are quite difficult to deal with, especially one with good foresight. Watch the rockets; They can easily blow you off of a ledge, into enemy fire, away from a Medibuddy, or otherwise screw up a jump you were making. The rockets don't have to hit you dead on to do damage, and even a near-hit can send you flying or dislodge you from a platform. Don't jump needlessly, watch the rockets and dodge accordingly. Overweight It's usually not even worth trying. It is possible to kill an overweight as a healer, but is very difficult and involves knowing when to run and when to shoot. It's generally effective to hide behind a crate or other obstacle and fire your needles over it until he reaches the obstacle, and then run for cover again, but in most cases this will only soften him up. Don't wander into the range of a Minigun alone, unless you're confident that you can kill him. Detonator Never underestimate their power of area denial. Three or four sticky mines are all they need to turn a Healer into roadkill. Furthermore, they can fight by launching the sticky mines and detonating them in mid-air. If done correctly, the knock-back from the explosions can make it impossible to directly approach one. Still, once you get within arm's reach of a Demo, they're much easier to kill, either by your needles or their own sticky mines. However, don't underestimate him there either. Even when behind allies, a skilled Detonator can still launch a sticky past them and hit you! Healer Fighting with another Healer can get tedious, and tends to boil down to who has better aim. But just remember this: The one chasing always has more range, and therefore the upper hand. Try to remain the chaser as much as possible. Also, if said Healer hops behind a team mate and begins healing him, that's pretty much checkmate; just retreat or find a Medibuddy of your own. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO HURT THE MEDIBUDDY: Medibeams heal faster than they can be hurt by Syringes. Constructor Basically a slower, more durable version of Runner, but the shotgun gets better range. Since you can outrun them, it's easier to avoid point-blank shots, but it's still a rather dangerous weapon at medium range. As for their Autoguns, the Needlegun's wide arc makes them well-suited for taking out sentries placed on ledges or around corners. There should never be an instance where you have to wander into range of a sentry by yourself. Infiltrator The Syringe Gun is great for detecting cloaked enemy infiltrators. If your needles uncover one, warn everyone around you immediately (X, 4 or X, 1/2 for Red, 2 for Blu, 8 ). The revolver has huge range and power, so a retreat is not always wise. Fortunately, once an Infiltrator's cover is blown, he usually goes down quickly as nearby team mates will typically attempt to dispose of him. As far as back-stabs go, it's almost as simple as shooting a few needles behind yourself or not standing still. Rifleman Healers are priority targets for most Riflemen, so the moment you get shot by one, or see enemy Rifleman fire, take cover either behind terrain or your allies, or make yourself as hard to hit as possible (move and jump randomly). A Healer's autoheal makes it so that the minimum amount of shots required to kill you is three, so use that to your advantage. If you can get close to him without taking a hit, the advantage may be yours, but if you can't, take cover and allow your autoheal to work its magic. If he decides to chase you down, hope that him closing the distance give you the advantage. Additionally, should you come across a team mate, it's to your advantage to use your Medigun on him, as Riflemen cannot damage a target faster than your healing rate. Obviously, though, he can still take YOU out, so be sure to hide behind your Medibuddy! Quote and Curly Quote & Curly are almost invincible to needles behind a bubble shield. They can run almost as fast as a Healer, and their knives can cause you to miss jumps or fall off platforms. If one gets you pinned to a wall, you're usually dead against them. Dodge their knives at all costs. Again I remind you, DO NOT attempt to go Rambo, unless you're confident in your own skills. Your Team and You As mentioned in the Introduction section, Healer stands the least chance in direct fights, and is the most team-dependent class. The team will always look to its Healers when they need health, so Healers should make it their primary duty to reinforce the team by doing everything that you can to see that they live to see another battle. Medibuddying Medibuddying is the act of following one person around and constantly healing them, regardless of the presence of danger. This tactic can be used for things like making a concentrated push against the other team, getting the team mate into a certain position, or, less practically, healing everybody else around you you would be counterproductive (They're so unskilled that it would be useless). you should only do this in 2v2s. The following is a list and analysis of every Class' effectiveness as a Medibuddy, from best to worse: *'Rocketman': Rocketman has a high health pool, close to Overweight's, without all the encumbering speed (but still slow), and his Rockets do a high amount of damage and destruction. *'Overweight': This guy would make the perfect Medibuddy with his absurdly high health pool and powerful gun, but his low speed makes it difficult to cover ground with one. Still, you're usually the safest around one of them. *'Firebug': A Firebug with a Healer behind him is a great destructive force! He stands a much better chance of getting in close to his opponents and surviving, but this doesn't guarantee it, especially if the Firebug intends to go kamikaze. If he is superbursted, he becomes an incredible destructive force. His movement speed allows both of you keep up the same pace, AND he won't catch fire, making it much easier to keep healed. Average shield and health pool. *'Detonator': Deto's usefulness as a Medibuddy is a variable, since some don't see direct combat very often. A Detonator that operates as a trap-layer generally doesn't need a Healer to do so, and despite their awesome power at mid-range, those that choose to go offensive can be overtaken rather easily at close range. Average health pool. *'Quote/Curly': A higher-that average health pool and movement speed would make them a lot more attractive if they were actually effective shields. Standing at half your height, shots will tend to bypass them and hit you yourself, and their short-range knives means they have to get in close to do any damage. Still, His/Her bubbleshield can help to shield you and others, which makes them a good choice. *'Constructor': His usefulness as a medibuddy is also a variable, since he himself possesses no special abilities. Constructors have the most powerful weapon in the game, the autogun. Healing him can allow the constructor to place one in a key point, where it will mow down enemies. His shotgun is still a decent weapon, though. Average health pool and movement speed. *'Runner': The Runner has a low health pool, which makes him a fragile shield, not to mention it's difficult to follow one since they move faster and jump farther, often taking to routes otherwise inaccessible by Healers. *'Healer': While two Healers healing each other is a great way to get one another past an enemy front or choke point, their low attack power and range is enough to hinder them as an effective Medibuddy. It is the most versatile pairing, however, since the attacking and healing Healer can switch roles when the need arises. Average health pool, but Autoheal makes them slightly more durable than most classes. You also get twice as many superbursts in this paring. *'Rifleman': A poor choice. Most Riflemans are logically not in the middle of the action, and thus don't need to be constantly healed. Those that ARE in the fray will have a hard time keeping track of you, and they stand least able to be able to defend you from attackers; they only get one shot every two seconds or so, and you stand the chance to block their shots, meaning you could actually decrease their effectiveness. Try to keep a fair distance between him and you to compensate, and be sure to check behind you for Spies. Average health pool and shield. *'Infiltrator': Without a doubt the worst candidate for a Medibuddy. Their low health pool makes them as delicate as a Runner, and following them around with a beam on them ruins their ability to cover and move stealthily. While the revolver is a decent weapon, it usually won't hold back enemy advancement. How to be a good Medibuddy While this section of the guide is not directly related to the Healer, it's important for the rest of the team to know how to not, well... suck as a person who the Healer has temporarily befriended. The following tips are basic guidelines to Medibuddy and Friend/Healer etiquette. *'Defend him!' While the Healer himself upholds some responsibilities for his own personal safety, he looks upon his team for protection from enemy attacks. If your Healer is in trouble and it is reasonable to do so, aid him in ridding his attacker(s). You'll be glad you did. *'Don't be Greedy!' There are many people on the battlefield constantly being shot and wounded, so don't be annoyed if a Healer stops to tend to another injured friend. Though it's okay to ask for him to heal you again, it's rather rude to yield whatever you're doing and demand him to continue healing you. He's a fast runner and can catch up without much difficulty. *'Be careful!' Just because you have a medibeam on you doesn't mean you're impervious to damage. Every class (except Rifleman and Healer) is able to damage someone faster than a single Healer can heal, so don't suddenly become reckless just because a Healer's tending to you. And try not to lead him into needless or overwhelming danger, as survival is Key for Healers. Retreating One of the most important things about being a Healer is knowing when to stay and fight, or to retreat from oncoming enemies. When to Retreat Here is a list of situations in which it would be smart to retreat. #Your partner is dead. #Your partner decided that they were going to die anyway and plunged facefirst into the storm of bullets. #Your partner is inactive #Certain classes pose an immediate threat such as Firebug, Rifleman, or Overweight in some cases. If so, then retreat immediately find an alternate route or look for a spot where you can gain an offensive advantage on him (like somewhere out of his range). If you wait too late to retreat from a Firebug he will catch up with you and kill you unless you can outmaneuver him. Same with Rifleman, you need to get out of his range quickly, you can only take 3 shots from a Rifleman Rifle at full health, 4 if he misses some. Tactically superbursting yourself Remember: In the event that you have less than, say, 15 health left and the enemy is still firing upon you, superburst yourself. While it may seem like a waste of an superburst, remember that if you get hit by a stray bullet and die you will lose it all anyway. You can also superburst yourself and run towards the intel (if it's a CTF map) and have some members of the opposing force go after you. You just might make them lose a key part of their attack or make them wait, and possibly score a cap if you're good enough. Why should I get back to the enemy ASAP? For starters, if you can hold back the enemy long enough eventually reinforcements will arrive and you can probably go back to the role of a field Healer rather than medibuddy, healing people as their health drops.In the event that there is a 4-5 man rush approaching, it usually doesn't matter who your new medibuddy is, unless it's another Healer. If you see a possible medibuddy then inform him of the incoming rush and get back in there to hold off/weaken the approaching force. Miscellanious Tips Priority While it would be ideal to heal every person exactly when they need it is impossible, and there will be times where, unfortunately, you have to choose between a team mate to heal. This is where priority comes in. Some people and situations are more demanding and/or rewarding of Healer attention. Please note that there are many exceptions to these rules, and the circumstance should be approached with an appropriate degree of common sense. From greatest to least, Priority should be given to: # People who are in the middle of Gunfights: Obviously, these are the guys who are taking the most amount of damage or holding back an enemy advancement, so they will be needing a Medibeam first. #'People who are on Fire': Fire afterburn can be quite damaging, but once all other hazards have been evaded, the fire wears off after a short period of time. But the damage being done still warrants quick Medibeaming. #'Intel runners': Chances are, someone carrying the Intelligence is going to be under pursuit by the enemy, so having a Healer escort will make the Intel runner that much harder to stop. #'Hurt but none of the above': Those who aren't seeing any action shouldn't be healed right away if there are other patients around that are currently depending on the Healer to keep him alive.In the instance one or more of the same priority example exist simultaneously, you can attempt switching between the two, but do so with caution: you may end up losing both patients! Again, use common sense. #'Self hurters': If no one is injured, then it is a good idea to heal a detonator or a rocketman, they can hurt themselves, allowing you to charge a superburst faster. Be Observant Learning how to effectively communicate using the Speech bubbles can allow you to warn your team mates about incoming threats they may not yet see, or be unaware of. Watch the screen for any signs of danger and be prepared to act accordingly. (For example, x-1-2, c-3, z-1 can mean, Look out, there's an enemy Firebug coming!) Hitting the desired pattern of speech bubbles while healing/fighting/navigating the map isn't exactly easy, so on your off time, practice doing so. Also, be very wary of what is happening around you. A Infiltrator could try to backstab you at any moment, and some enemies will attempt to take you out before attacking a patient! Always have a retreat plan. In Conclusion Remember that as a Healer, you are the only way the team can heal without returning back to the base. This makes you a powerful asset, and it should be utilized to the fullest extent. Whenever you see someone hurt, heal them. If someone is on fire, heal them. Where ever there's a red health bar, make it green. Try to keep as many team mates alive as is surviveably possible, and your team will love you. Not to mention, doing so will give you assist points, and assist points will help keep you close to the top of the Team roster. What Not To * Seriously, DO NOT SUPERBURST MANVICH EATING OVERWEIGHTS! Remember: Stay awake, stay alert, stay alive! Links *Volo's Guide To All Things Healeral by Volothamp Geddarm *Chicken Soup for the Budding Healer by Chicken Soup Category:Strategy guides